Cairngorms National Park Authority Performance Assessment 2025
Cairngorms National Park Authority Üghdarras Pàirc Nàiseanta a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh
is. improvement service
NATIONAL PLANNING IMPROVEMENT FRAMEWORK
Performance Assessment
Cohort 3
April 2025
National Planning Improvement | Improvement Service
| Planning Authority: | Cairngorms National Park Authority |
|---|---|
| Lead officer: | David Berry |
| Email: | davidberry@cairngorms.co.uk |
| Phone number: | 01479 874 945 |
Scoring matrix used within this document:
| Progress Level | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| ☐ 1 | Making excellent progress | Consolidate Share learning with others |
| ☐ 2 | Making good progress | Build upon Increase ambition in targets Share learning with others |
| ☐ 3 | Making fair progress | Develop Increase ambition in targets Review and improve implementation |
| ☐ 4 | Making limited progress | Review Review ambition Review approach taken Inform NPI Learn from others |
| ☐ 5 | No progress | Prioritise Prioritise fundamental review and revisit approach taken. Engage with NPI Learn from others |
National Planning Improvement | Improvement Service
Introduction
The Cairngorms National Park Authority is delighted to share this National Planning Improvement Framework as part of the third cohort for this pilot project led by the Improvement Service.
The National Planning Improvement Framework replaces the Planning Performance Framework reports which were previously submitted to Scottish Ministers on an annual basis. The National Planning Improvement Framework aims to better measure how planning authorities improve by incorporating attributes that better assess impacts, outcomes achieved, and the quality of the service provided, and by recognising that planning authorities depend on others to deliver a high-quality service.
As part of this National Planning Improvement Framework, the National Park Authority’s planning service has undertaken a performance assessment and identified areas for improvement focused on the attributes of a highly performing planning authority. These attributes are grouped around the following five themes:
| Inputs | Processes | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| PEOPLE Has sufficient resources and skills to maximise productivity Has a valued and supported workforce | ENGAGE Has good customer care Has effective engagement & collaboration with stakeholders & communities | PLACE Supports the delivery of sustainable, liveable and productive places Supports the delivery of consented development |
| CULTURE Has embedded continuous improvement Has sound governance Has effective leadership | ||
| TOOLS Has a robust policy and evidence base Makes best use of data and digital technology Has effective decision-making processes |
The process has also involved a peer review, including our partner local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and a range of other stakeholder representatives. The National Park Authority is grateful for the input of everyone who participated in the peer review process to help us refine our improvement actions and priorities.
National Planning Improvement | Improvement Service
A high performing planning authority needs to have the right number of people to do the work expected of it with the rights skills set. It also needs to have a strategy to ensure that it retains and recruits the right staff in the future. It supports staff to upskill and to be prepared for changes in policy, legislation, and new circumstances.
People
ATTRIBUTE 1: THIS PLANNING AUTHORITY HAS SUFFICIENT RESOURCES AND SKILLS TO MAXIMISE PRODUCTIVITY
Please consider the following when thinking about this attribute and how you have performed over the last year:
- Does the planning authority have the sufficient level of staff to carry out all activities within the required timeframes?
- Does the planning authority have the ability to carry out all activities within the required timeframes with its current budget?
- Does the planning authority have the ability to carry out all activities within the required timeframes with its current income?
- Does the planning authority received responses from consultees within the prescribed timescale when assessing planning applications?
- Does the planning authority have the ability to access the appropriate advice, expertise, evidence and data it requires?
Narrative
Background to planning in the Cairngorms National Park
In the Cairngorms National Park, more than in any other part of Scotland, there is a partnership approach to planning. The National Park Authority and the five relevant local authorities that cover the National Park¹ all play a key role in making the planning system work effectively. The National Park Authority sets the planning policy for the National Park through the development of the National Park Partnership Plan and the Local Development Plan. All planning applications in the National Park are determined with reference to this policy background. Planning
¹ Aberdeenshire Council, Angus Council, Moray Council, Perth and Kinross Council, and The Highland Council
National Planning Improvement | Improvement Service
applications are initially submitted to the relevant local authority, and they are decided by either the local authority or the National Park Authority. The National Park Authority is notified of all planning applications within the National Park boundary, and ‘calls in’ and determines the larger and most significant / sensitive applications (typically this accounts for just under 10% of all planning applications within the National Park). The rest (most of the applications) are determined by the relevant local authority. This unique status in comparison with other planning authorities shapes both the structure and the operating processes of the Park Authority’s planning service.
National Park Authority’s planning structure
The National Park Authority’s planning service sits within the wider Directorate of Planning and Place. As well as planning, this includes the following service areas: visitor services; transport and infrastructure; outdoor learning and engagement; rangers; and Cairngorms 2030.
The planning service includes the development management, development planning and planning support teams. The following summaries provide additional information on the general activities undertaken by each team.
The development planning team is responsible for producing the Park Authority’s Local Development Plan, as well as supplementary and non-statutory planning advice and guidance. In addition, they provide project management support in the development of the National Park Partnership Plan, which acts as the Regional Spatial Strategy for the National Park (as well as the Regional Land Use Framework and Economic / Sustainable Tourism Strategy). The team also monitors delivery of the Local Development Plan’s policies and proposals, as well as supporting external partners to develop Community Action Plans and Local Place Plans.
The development management team is responsible for processing the planning applications which the National Park Authority calls-in for determination, as well as providing pre-application advice on development proposals that the Park Authority is likely to call in for determination. The team also monitor and resolve planning enforcement issues for any cases in which the Park Authority granted planning permission or, in cases where development is undertaken without planning permission, where the Park Authority would have dealt with any planning application for that development.
The planning support team are responsible for providing technical and administration support for the whole planning service. They have particular responsibility for maintaining planning registers, issuing decision notices, providing support for planning committee meetings, and monitoring planning performance indicators. In addition, they co-ordinate with partners at Loch
National Planning Improvement | Improvement Service
Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority to ensure effective operation of our planning IT systems.
Staffing resources
A description of the overall arrangement of the Park Authority’s Planning Service is provided below.
The development planning team is managed by the Forward Planning and Service Improvement Manager, supported by a Senior Planner. The Forward Planning and Service Improvement Manager has line management responsibility for the Senior Planner and a Planning Officer, whilst the Senior Planner is responsible for line management of a Graduate Planner and a Planning Technical Assistant.
The development management team is managed by the Development Management Manager, supported by a Senior Planner. The Development Management Manager is responsible for line management of the Senior Planner, two Planning Officers and a Planning Ecological Advice Officer, whilst the Senior Planner has line management responsibility for a Graduate Planner and a Monitoring and Enforcement Officer.
The planning support team is managed by a Planning Systems Officer, who reports to the Development Management Manager and has line management responsibility for a Planning Support Officer.
The overall planning service is managed by the Head of Planning, who since late 2024 is the Chief Planning Officer for the National Park Authority. A restructure during 2023⁄24 re-allocated some of the functions for which the Head of Planning was previously responsible in order to free up capacity and allow the post holder to focus on planning activities. The functions that have been re-allocated, which include visitor services and transport infrastructure, remain within the wider Planning and Place Directorate. This ensures that close co-operation between these important services is retained.
The table below provides a summary of the number of staff within the planning service that were members of the Royal Town Planning Institute during the 2073⁄74 financial year, including details of whether they were chartered, licentiate or affiliate members.
| RTPI Membership Status | Number of Staff |
|---|---|
| Chartered Member | 4 |
| Licentiate Member | 3 |
| Affiliate Member | 2 |
National Planning Improvement | Improvement Service
Overall, the planning service has a structure which, when fully staffed, is effective and well-designed to carry out the Park Authority’s planning activities and responsibilities. However, in common with other planning authorities, particularly in rural areas, the Park Authority experiences challenges with recruiting appropriately qualified and experienced planning professionals. This sometimes results in vacancies within the planning service being unfilled for prolonged periods, which can in turn have a bearing on timescales for carrying out planning activities and responsibilities. A strategy has been developed to help mitigate and address this issue, and this is discussed in more detail under Attribute 2 below.
Budget and finance
The Head of Planning has overall responsibility for planning service budgets, and the budgets for the relevant teams are also monitored regularly by the Development Management and Forward Planning Managers.
The National Park Authority is able to recover 60% of the application fee from the relevant local authority for all planning applications that it calls in for determination. Planning fee income for the 2023⁄24 financial year was £67,155. In common with other planning authorities across Scotland, this fee income does not cover the full cost of processing the planning applications that the Park Authority deals with, and the balance is therefore met from other budgets.
Planning is one of the Park Authority’s two statutory functions (the Park Authority is also the statutory